ISLAMABAD, Pakistan — Pakistan’s military said Sunday it conducted overnight strikes targeting militant hideouts in Afghanistan’s Kandahar province, escalating a conflict with the Taliban-led government that began in late February. The strikes, which targeted equipment storage facilities and “technical support infrastructure,” according to Pakistan’s Information Minister Attaullah Tarar, represent a significant intensification of cross-border hostilities.
Zabiullah Mujahid, a spokesman for the Afghan government, stated that the Pakistani strikes hit two locations: a site used by security guards during the day, which was unoccupied at the time of the attack and a drug rehabilitation center that sustained minor damage. Mujahid asserted that there were no casualties, but characterized the strikes as a continuation of “invasion and fueling the fire of war.”
In retaliation for the strikes in Kandahar, Afghanistan’s Defense Ministry claimed to have launched an attack on a Pakistani army camp in South Waziristan, alleging the destruction of the camp’s command center and inflicting heavy casualties on Pakistani forces. Pakistan’s Ministry of Information dismissed the claim as “propaganda,” stating that a small drone was shot down and no military installations were damaged. Afghanistan also reported operations inside Pakistan from Kunar and Nangarhar provinces, claiming to have captured a military outpost and killed soldiers, allegations also rejected by Pakistan.
The renewed clashes stem from Pakistan’s accusations that Afghanistan’s Taliban rulers are harboring militant groups, particularly the Tehrik-e-Taliban, also known as the Pakistani Taliban, who are responsible for attacks within Pakistan. Afghanistan consistently denies these charges, maintaining it does not permit its territory to be used for attacks against other nations. The current fighting follows a breakdown of a ceasefire brokered by Qatar last October, which had followed earlier clashes that resulted in numerous deaths among soldiers, civilians, and suspected militants.
Adding to the escalating tensions, a mortar shell fired from Afghanistan struck a home in Pakistan’s Bajaur district on Sunday, killing at least four members of the same family and wounding two others, according to local government official Adnan Khan. Both sides have accused each other of targeting civilians, with dozens reported killed in the recent fighting.
On Saturday, Pakistan’s President Asif Ali Zardari accused Afghanistan’s government of “crossing a red line” with drone attacks on civilian areas within Pakistan. This statement preceded the reported strikes on an Afghan drone storage facility. The Washington Post reported on the intensified fighting three hours ago, noting the conflict as the deadliest yet between the two South Asian nations.
The conflict unfolds against a backdrop of broader regional instability, including the ongoing U.S.-Israeli war with Iran. Reuters reported on February 27th that the Afghan Taliban expressed willingness to negotiate following Pakistani bombing raids in Kabul and Kandahar. Al Jazeera reported that the strikes targeted a facility in Kandahar after Taliban drones reportedly struck civilian and military sites in Pakistan.
